Stats Below From Games 11/1/2021 – 11/14/2021
NOTE: For recaps below, we are highlighting any prospects who contributed on the score sheet over the past week or did anything notable. For an overall view of Sabres Prospects and their stats, be sure to check The Charging Buffalo’s Prospect Stat Tracker which is updated daily here or clicking the image below.
Premier Prospect: LD – Owen Power
Michigan (NCAA) – 4 GP | 1 G | 9 A | 10 PTS
Owen Power undeniably deserved the honor for Premier Prospect in this edition of The Sabres Prospect Notebook. Putting up 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in just 4 games, Power has been making major contributions on offense for Michigan. Where Power has really done well is quarterbacking the power play where he has set up several one timer goals with well placed passes.
Every single point Power scored over the past 4 games is in the video below. What has stood out about the way Power has played lately in the offensive zone is his poise with the puck and how well he is engaging down low to create scoring chances. Power is safely taking any opportunity to find open ice and has been rewarded on the scoresheet for his efforts.
It’s remarkable just how much Power has elevated his play the last few weeks after a bit of a “lull” in the points department since his opening night 4 point outing. Half of Power’s 10 points over the last 4 games have been scored at even strength, while 7 (1 goal, 6 assists) were primary points. Power has now matched his DY goal total and surpassed both his assist and point totals in the season prior, in 14 less games played.
Power’s skills have been on full display as the left shot defenseman has used his skating to drive transition. He’s been extremely impressive and has made huge strides in his development that should leave Sabres fans very optimistic about his future.
Prospect Updates and Notes
- JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn continued to be dominant for Rochester as their chemistry is infallible at times. Between Peterka’s skating ability and Quinn’s knack for finding open ice, these two high end prospects have put on a clinic for Rochester, combining for 6 goals and 6 assists in their last 5 games played.
- The Sabres prospect group got a major addition in the form of Peyton Krebs as he was the main piece in the Jack Eichel trade. Known for his high hockey IQ and play making ability, Krebs picked up a couple of assists in his first four games with the Amerks. It’s likely that Krebs will earn a call up to Buffalo at some point this season but there is no rush to get him there in a rebuilding year for the Sabres. Early on, Krebs has impressed with moments where he’s a magician with the puck though did show some signs that he’s clearly still transitioning to a new home. Regardless, the future is extremely bright for Krebs as a player who has Top 6 potential in the NHL.
- The production hasn’t been there for Aaron Huglen this year as he’s only collected 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 games. However, he has been very impressive at times and has been able to create scoring chances with his high end puck carrying ability and vision. This was especially true on his one assist where he drew the play behind the net and made a backwards pass out front. Huglen is doing a lot of good things away from the puck and has some solid underlying possession numbers to suggest that the points will come soon.
- As someone who was a skeptic of the Matteo Costantini pick by Buffalo in 2020, he has been the prospect who has impressed me the most thus far. North Dakota is a strong team and Costantini has used his speed and skill to not only be a play driver with positive on ice metrics, but also show up on the score sheet. The jump by Costantini is certainly something to keep an eye on as he is currently on a 5 game point streak. All 4 of Costantini’s goals have come at even strength this year as well as 7 of his 9 total points.
- Josh Bloom had an 8 game point streak snapped this past weekend as he has been dominant at times for Saginaw. Driving play and generating shot attempts by using his size and speed, Bloom has been able to show up on the score sheet quite a bit recently. What has really been impressive is Bloom’s defensive play, especially on the penalty kill where he already has 2 short handed goals on the season.
- It’s hard to ask for a better few weeks of play by Sabres goaltending prospects. Combining for a 9-3-0 record in their 12 games started, Devon Levi, Erik Portillo, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were magnificent for their respective teams. While development with goalies should always come with tempered expectations, it’s great to see UPL put together a string of strong performances after starting the year poorly for Rochester. UPL picked up his first career AHL shutout in a 32 save effort against Cleveland this past Saturday night. Devon Levi meanwhile was very consistent, winning 3 out of his 4 starts with a 1.24 GAA and 0.950 Save %. Levi now sits 5th in the NCAA in save percentage with a 0.943 overall. Erik Portillo was perfect in his 4 starts, finishing with a 1.75 GAA and 0.941 Save %. Portillo even landed on Sportscenter’s Top 10 with an incredible save that would make Dominik Hasek proud.
- William von Barnekow bounced back and forth in Malmo for the J20 and SHL team, often serving as the extra forward that got little to no ice time for the latter. Proving that he is too good for the J20 level but not necessarily ready for the SHL, von Barnekow recently joined Troja/Ljungby of Sweden’s second tier league Allsvenskan on loan. This is great for von Barnekow’s development as he can get some more meaningful ice time and challenge himself against stronger competition.
Prospect Highlights
AHL (Rochester)
RW Jack Quinn
5 GP | 4 G | 2 A | 6 PTS
RW JJ Peterka
5 GP | 2 G | 4 A | 6 PTS
LD Mattias Samuelsson
5 GP | 0 G | 5 A | 5 PTS
RD Casey Fitzgerald
5 GP | 1 G | 2 A | 3 PTS
C Peyton Krebs
4 GP | 0 G | 2 A | 2 PTS
RD Oskari Laaksonen
5 GP | 0 G | 2 A | 2 PTS
LW Brandon Biro
4 GP | 0 G | 2 A | 2 PTS
LW Brett Murray
3 GP | 2 G | 0 A | 2 PTS
LW Matej Pekar
5 GP | 1 G | 0 A | 1 PTS
LW Linus Weissbach
5 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS
SHL
LW Filip Cederqvist (Djurgardens)
3 GP | 1 G | 3 A | 4 PTS
KHL
LD Nikita Novikov (Dynamo Moscow)
3 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS
NCAA
LD Owen Power (Michigan)
4 GP | 1 G | 9 A | 10 PTS
C Matteo Costantini (North Dakota)
4 GP | 3 G | 2 A | 5 PTS
C Aaron Huglen (Minnesota)
4 GP | 1 G | 1 A | 2 PTS
LD Ryan Johnson (Minnesota)
4 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS
QMJHL
RW Olivier Nadeau (Shawinigan)
5 GP | 1 G | 2 A | 3 PTS
LW Viljami Marjala (Quebec)
5 GP | 1 G | 2 A | 3 PTS
OHL
LW Josh Bloom (Saginaw)
7 GP | 5 G | 2 A | 7 PTS
WHL
C Tyson Kozak (Portland)
5 GP | 2 G | 3 A | 5 PTS
USHL
LW Stiven Sardarian (Youngstown)
3 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS
J20 Nationell
C William von Barnekow (Malmo)
3 GP | 2 G | 3 A | 5 PTS
Goaltenders
AHL
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Rochester)
4 GP | 2 W | 2 L | 2.03 GAA | 130 SVS | 0.942 SV% – 1 Shutout
NCAA
G Erik Portillo (Michigan)
4 GP | 4 W | 0 L | 1.75 GAA | 112 SVS | 0.941 SV%
G Devon Levi (Northeastern)
4 GP | 3 W | 1 L | 1.24 GAA | 96 SVS | 0.950 SV%
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Special Thanks
Elite Prospects and InStat Hockey for all of their stats and all the folks who provide video clips of assists and goals above on Twitter.
